The present invention relates to a photographic device, and more particularly to a photographic camera for taking a photograph by means of using flash-light illumination.
In recent years, a photographic camera incorporating an electric flash unit is widely employed as a photographic device using the flash-light illumination. It is, however, preferable in this photographic device, to miniaturize a camera and a flash device, since a photographic camera of this type is generally portable.
An encountered problem is that the red-eye effect in colour photographing generates in a miniaturized camera such as, for example, a pocket camera. The red-eye effect is likely to generate, particularly when a light axis of a flash light of the flash unit is parallel and nearest with respect to an optical axis of the photographing lens. Accordingly, it is necessary to isolate an axis of the flash light of the flash unit about more than 60 mm from the optical axis of the photographing lens.
Further encountered problem in the photographic camera is that the photographic lens must be generally covered by a cap in order to prevent the photographing lens from being dirty due to the attachment of the dust and to prevent the destruction of the lens due to the external mechanical shock, when the photographic camera is not used.
It is, however, very troublesome, in operating, to put on a cap to the lens and to remove the cap from the lens, as well as is uneconomical because the cap is often lost in treating the camera.
The use of electric flash devices has increased even further as it has become increasingly common to provide cameras with built-in flash devices. However, it is difficult to make the electric flash device sufficiently small for this purpose and yet sufficiently powerful in terms of light output, without employing an undesirably complicated and costly manufacturing process.